A Few New Wrinkles: Hanks, Coster and Cruise

We’ve seen how Kirk Douglas and his peers have dealt with aging in front of a movie camera. What career choices will the male stars of today make by the time they’re growing hair out of their ears? Three possibilities.

Tom Hanks At 68, he finally acquiesces to Jimmy Stewart comparisons, plays Elwood P. Dowd in a remake of Harvey. Macaulay Culkin is the rabbit. It bombs.

Kevin Costner At 75, he plays Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton in eight-hour epic. At 84, he stars in The Picture of Dorian Gray opposite a computer image of his younger self.

Tom Cruise At 70, he gives up dinner theater and golf tours to play Shakespeare’s King Lear in lavish new filming. He’s brilliant; the picture’s a hit; he wins an Oscar.